Beauty and the Beast
by angel-of-gryffindor
Summary: When Ben turned 10 he was put under the same spell as his father and hid himself away. Carlos, the village bookworm, leaves his village to hide in the nearby castle. Love blooms like the rose cursing the beast. M/M Benlos. Fairytale style. Leave a review if you enjoy :) One-shot


Beauty and the Beast

I wrote this cos I went to see the new Beauty and the Beast twice in a week & I needed to get this idea out of my head before more terrible fanfics happened. Hope you enjoy it, sorry for any mistakes.

Once upon a time, many years ago, there was a handsome Prince and although he had everything he desired he was mean and selfish.  
One cold, stormy night an old begger woman begged for shelter from the bitter night, offering a single rose, but, offended by her ugliness, the Prince turned her away.  
The old woman warned the Prince not to be fooled by appearances; he did not listen and turned her away once more.  
The old woman transformed into a beautiful enchantress and stood before the frightened Prince; he begged for mercy but the enchantress gave non and placed a cruel curse upon the Prince and his castle.  
She transformed the Prince into an ugly beast, so what was on the inside reflected on the outside, and all his staff into nothing more than objects.  
Before leaving the enchantress left the single rose, in full bloom, informing him that with each passing year a petal will fall and if all 10 petals fell the Prince would remain a beast forever.  
The only way to break the curse was to find someone who would love the Prince as he was and he to love them in return.  
In despair and anger the Prince locked himself away in his castle, knowing nobody would ever love a beast.  
Against all odds a girl came to the castle and, although, at first she was his prisoner something bloomed between them and they fell in love.  
After a battle with half the village the Prince lay dying in his love's arms, the last petal finally fell, and she confessed her love for the beast.  
In a whirl of petals and magic the Prince returned to his handsome form but he was not the same as he was before; he knew now not to judge from appearances.  
The Prince and his new bride moved away from the castle and into her home village, where they could be humble; as humble as they could be for being immediately elected Mayor.  
But this story is not about Adam and Belle, this story is about their son, Ben; their son was born less than two years after their marriage and it was a joyous occasion.  
Ben was a beautiful golden child with his father's bright blue eyes and his mother's cleverness; the village adored him and he, in turn, adored them.  
However, on the eve of Ben's tenth birthday he was visited by the enchantress; she stood before him in his room not having aged a day but she looked upon him with pity.  
"I am sorry dear little one." the enchantress spoke in soft tones, "my curse still flowed through your father's veins, as it is with all magic, and now it flows through yours."  
Ben did not cry or shout for his parents, he had heard time and time again about his father's horrific curse, instead he sat quietly to listen.  
"at exactly midnight tonight, when you turn ten, you will be transformed into a beast and if you do not find someone to love you then you remain so forever." the enchantress continued and presented the young boy with a single rose.  
Without a word Ben took the rose, the enchantress immediately vanished, before climbing from his bed and collecting his things silently; from his window the young boy could see his father's old castle.  
When Adam's spell had been broken the castle had transformed back into it's beautiful form but, even from the distance, Ben could see storm clouds appearing above it.  
Ben may have been very young but he was very advanced for his age so, without alerting his parents, he slipped from the house and made his way towards the castle, unaware he was being followed.  
The children from the village did like Ben, even if he was given everything he ever wanted, and he had made good friends with four of them.  
Mal was the daughter of a noble woman who seemed to go through rich husbands like workers go through shoes; she was an angry looking girl with a good heart and she shared Ben's love for adventure.  
Jay was the son of the local jewellery seller, he had a good eye for expensive things and those thing often ended up in his own pockets; he never got in trouble because Ben always returned the items and covered for the other boy.  
Evie was the daughter of the village beautician, although she was very pretty she believed her mother's vile words and always tried to make herself better; she loved Ben's beautiful home and things be gifted her in friendship.  
Carlos was younger than the others by a year, he was the son of the seamstress and originally adored Belle, listening intently to every story she read to the village children but soon he was playing with the other four; Ben taught the younger boy to read.  
So as Ben stole away into the night Mal, Jay and Evie followed; Carlos had been locked in a cupboard by his foul tempered mother.  
The castle was something to behold, its high, spiralling towers disappeared into the clouds above, all the gold gates were melting into darkened ash and dust lay on every surface.  
Ben sat in the middle of the ballroom, imagining his parents twirling in the very space on their wedding day and as the grandfather clock chimed midnight he held his breath.  
Transforming was not painful, it felt tingling and warm and when it was all over Ben stood in his new form; a beast with human eyes.  
Mal, Jay and Evie had been cursed too, becoming living paintings upon the walls of the castle; they had free rein but were unable to leave the canvas.  
The rich colours bled from the castle, even the moon vanished, and with careful steps Ben went to the West Wing, the only part of the castle that had remained the same even after the curse had been broken; by the huge bay windows sat the glass jar, not a single speck of dust upon it.  
Ben carefully placed the rose under the jar, watching it glow in the darkness and finally felt his heart sinking at his situation; feeling it welling from his belly to his chest the ten year old let out a thundering roar.  
The roar shook the windows, scared birds and echoed the whole way to the village; there was a beast back in the castle but nobody would ever know it.  
As before the enchantress placed another spell upon the village, causing them to forget about the castle but she could not make them forget their children; after days of searching for the four lost children it was decided that they had been lost to the woods.  
The parents mourned the lost children but, ultimately, had to carry on with their lives; Adam banned anybody from entering the woods, travellers were welcome but no-one left any other way than the main road.  
Carlos mourned his only friends, finding himself well and truly alone; Belle still read to the children but it wasn't the same, sadness echoed in every word.  
While Ben paced the castle in his beastly form, annoyed his friends had been pulled into his horrific curse, he tried to think of ways to break the curse without leaving the confines; years passed and the situation seemed hopeless.  
Six years passed since the four children had been taken by the forest, most had forgotten but never ventured close to the forest; often Carlos would stand at the edge, wishing his friends would return.  
Carlos had grown different to the other village boys; while they all grew tall, muscled and thirsty for fighting, Carlos delved into books, the fantasies they presented and the adventure they promised.  
It was unusual for boys of the village to take such interest in books, boys were meant to protect their country in wars or serve God in the mountain monstrosities; Carlos wanted neither, he wanted a quiet life with good people but he'd never find such things in his village.  
Escaping his mother's tempers early Carlos made his way to the village fountain, where he could read in relative peace, however, as the village awoke and began their day of business, the fifteen year old heard their talking.  
"I heard he doesn't even know how to fire a musket." a woman whispered to another as they passed with armfuls of cheese.  
The statement was a lie, Carlos did know how to fire a musket but wasn't very good at aiming or reloading the thing.  
"books won't help you in wars boy." snapped the tavern owner, his own battle scars worn like badges of honour.  
Dragging himself from the safe pages of the novel, "I do not wish to go to war." Carlos said firmly.  
The tavern owner snorted, "what kind of boy does not wish to go to war?"  
With a deep sigh Carlos stood, shutting his book slowly, "a smart one." he replied before making his way through the crowds.  
Carlos intended to go to the edge of the forest, where he knew it would be quiet, but his path was blocked by a tall figure.  
Chad was top of all the 'war classes' the village boys attended, he had a natural knack for fighting and throwing his wealth about.  
"hello little book worm." Chad sneered.  
Carlos rolled his eyes, he knew the taller boy could hurt him greatly but he wasn't afraid of Chad, "good morning Chad, excuse me." he tried to sneak passed him but found his book taken from his pocket.  
Squinting hard at the pages Chad flipped through the book with a confused face, "why are the words so tiny?" he finally asked, "and where are the pictures?" he seemed genuinely offended.  
"some people use their imagination." Carlos shot back, grabbing his book and shoving it back into his pocket.  
Chad ruffled his blond locks before slinging an arm around Carlos's smaller shoulders, "anyway, enough dull convocation, come horseback riding with me." he wasn't asking.  
Immediately Carlos slipped from under Chad's arm, a bonus of being small, "no thank you." he said quickly and disappeared behind the mayor's house.  
From the darkened corner Carlos watched the blond look around confused, ruffle his hair once more and swaggered off without many thoughts in his head.  
Carlos sighed, moving his own white hair from his face, and continued down the back of the house, peeking into one room; the mayor's library was everything the fifteen year old ever dreamed of.  
Hundred, maybe thousands, of books lined the walls of every subject imaginable, three comfortable chairs sat in front of an old style fireplace and hanging on the wall was a rich painting of the Adam, Belle and Ben.  
Often Belle would be in the library when Carlos snuck by, he missed her warm voice reading to them, giving the village children so much hope, but since Ben had been lost she often couldn't find the energy to read uplifting stories.  
Belle sat in the yellow armchair, looking elegant and kind, a small hardback book open in her lap and more books stacked beside her but every so often she would look up from the pages to stare at the painting, almost longingly.  
Sitting heavily in the dirt under the window, feeling goosebumps rising on his skin, Carlos opened his book again and fell into that world again.  
By the time Carlos had finished reading, for the second time, it was nearly dinnertime and he knew he would have to return home soon if he didn't want to be locked out of his house again.  
The seamstress, Cruella, was a strong willed woman and did very little sewing, instead she drew up designs for customers and paid others to actually make the items.  
The moment Carlos entered the shop Cruella was upon him, her thin face twisted in anger, "where have you been hiding?" she snarled.  
"in the clouds with a giant." Carlos joked and was instantly hit around the back of the head by his mother.  
"boy should be getting ready to join the army or learning a good trade." Cruella snapped, "not wasting time with useless things." she snatched away his book, throwing it in with all the scarp fabric that would be thrown away.  
Carlos stood still for a long moment, waiting to see if his mother would continue her verbal onslaught but Cruella seemed tired and took herself away to bed without dismissing her staff.  
However, in the morning, Cruella was awake long before Carlos, so he laid perfectly still under the scrape fabric to listen to her speak.  
"I know your boy isn't even old enough!" there was a gruff man stood at the door.  
Cruella gave a humourless laugh, "what does that matter? You need the numbers, don't you?"  
"I need trained men." The man snapped.  
"why waste trained men as your first line of defense?" Cruella questioned slyly.  
Carlos immediately panicked, his crazy mother was sending him off to die, and even more to his horror than man, obviously a general in the army, agreed; handing a small bag of money to Cruella before departing, promising to return in the following day.  
The moment Cruella went to work upstairs, even before the workers arrived, Carlos threw his few books into a bag, along with a few bits of stolen food and ran from the house without a sound.  
For a moment, looking at the rising sun, Carlos wasn't sure where he could hide, the village was small and his mother would eventually find him; beyond the village was the forest where children got lost and if it was one thing Carlos needed to be at that moment was to be lost.  
With determined footsteps Carlos made his way towards the forest, a small twist of worry in his stomach, the trees were dense and the fifteen year old had no idea what kind of animals lived in there but they couldn't be any more viscous than his mother.  
"Carlos? Carlos!" Belle rushed from her rose bushes she had been tending, a long red cape around her, worry etched on her face, "come away from the forest."  
Carlos stopped walking, looking at the woman he had admired for many years, but out of the corner of his eye he saw Cruella appear at the door of her shop looking furious.  
"I'm leaving. Goodbye." Carlos said almost breathlessly.  
Belle's worry turned to alarm, "no, you'll be lost." she didn't want to lose any more children to the forest, "it's dangerous."  
Carlos didn't know what to say to Belle; if he had been her son than he wouldn't have thought twice but as he saw his vile mother approaching quickly, he turned tail and vanished.  
Adam managed to catch his wife before she followed the white haired boy and Cruella knew better than to enter the forest; nobody was willing to enter the woods to search so it was quickly spread that Carlos had been lost too.  
Carlos was indeed lost, but not how the villagers thought, he'd simply lost his way; the once well used path was now overgrown and he wasn't sure where to stand without falling.  
Like the whole village Carlos could see the old castle from the windows, he'd also heard the stories from the mayor himself about his old home and that was where the teen was heading.  
Carlos walked and walked, the sun rose to it's highest point before falling again and Carlos felt like he'd walked no further; looking for a safe place to rest he sat, wondering if he needed to sleep in the forest before continuing.  
A howl stopped those thoughts immediately, Carlos may not have been scared of Chad or the villagers nasty rumours or even his mother's temper but he was deathly afraid of dogs of any kind.  
Quickening his steps the white haired teen forgot about following any kind of path, his only through was to get far away from the howls but the further he went, the louder the howls became.  
Finally, as the sun fully disappeared, Carlos came to the darkened gates of the castle and he slammed them shut to keep out the wolves; the castle loomed over the fifteen year old like something from a nightmare, nothing like from the stories from Belle's stories.  
With slow, careful steps Carlos entered the castle; inside was impressively expensive, but everything had become muted over time.  
"hello?" Carlos called, knowing he would not receive an answer from the empty castle but did so anyway.  
Even far back in the West Wing Ben heard the voice calling through his castle, startled by a voice he wasn't familiar with, the beast hurried through the shadows to the main entrance; there stood a white haired boy he vaguely remembered from the village.  
"welcome!" Evie announced her presence in the painting by the door.  
Carlos screamed louder than he'd ever screamed before, spinning he saw the beautician's daughter smiling at him from a painting; her blue hair and dazzling smile were just as wonderful as he remembered.  
"well done scaring him." Mal swanned into the painting; still brash but she could read people well.  
"Evie? Mal?" Carlos approached the painting, getting a better look at the girls who used to be his friends, suddenly long haired Jay jumped into the frame, "Jay? I thought you guys died in the forest!"  
The three exchanged looks but didn't explain how they came to be stuck in a painting, instead Evie flashed a wonderful smile, "how many years has it been?"  
"six." Carlos told them, looking from one face to another, feeling calm knowing they were somewhat there, "I've missed you guys."  
"you're staying right?" Mal asked.  
Nodding Carlos suddenly heard something behind him, turning he saw a hulking shadow at the top of the stairs, "hello? I didn't mean to intrude, I've come from the village, I'm..." he tried to explain, swallowing down his nerves.  
"I know who you are." Ben said quickly, "you are welcome here, but do not seek me out." he stated before vanishing back towards the West Wing.  
Jay took Carlos to one of the many bedrooms, swinging athletically from frame to frame and the fifteen year old smiled at his friend.  
The room was huge, bigger than any house in the village, a massive canopy bed with soft cotton sheets, even if they were a little dusty and there were more things in the one room than Carlos had ever owned in his life.  
Meanwhile Mal had gone to find Ben, annoyed by his little statement, "really Ben? 'Don't seek me out'" she intimated the beast in a mocking voice.  
"it would only scare him off." Ben mumbled, staring longingly at the four petals remaining.  
Mal scoffed, "please, you are probably the least scary thing that kid has seen."  
Ben remembered Cruella and her vile words towards her son whenever she caught him listening to Belle's stories.  
"try speaking to him." Mal pressed, frustrated that she was stuck in the painting and unable to help her friend more than with just words.  
In his new room Carlos stacked his books on the side before flopping down on the bed, tiredness washing over him and he would have fell asleep instantly had he not heard his door open.  
The whole room was dark so Carlos was unable to see his host properly, just a huge, beast like outline, "thank you for letting me stay." he said softly.  
"I have not had company for a long time." Ben confessed.  
It wasn't entirely true, when the beast had been thirteen a young princess called Audrey had sought him out, declaring her love to him, even though they'd never met and when she lay eyes upon him, she had quickly turned tail and ran away.  
Ben cleared his throat, trying not to be too loud, "you're welcome to go anywhere, except the West Wing."  
Carlos couldn't stop the small laugh escaping, "you sound like Belle's story."  
The beast flinched slightly at the mention of his mother; he missed her dearly, his father too and he couldn't stop the question tumbling out of his mouth.  
"is she in good health? Her husband too?" Ben asked carefully.  
"they're very well, just still sad about losing their son." Carlos told him but felt the pull of sleep.  
Ben watched the white haired boy fall asleep quickly, not even pulling the covers over himself, so with slow and careful movements the beast covered Carlos; he could stop the smile as he thought about no longer being alone.  
In the morning Carlos managed to get a proper look at the castle; every was very muted but still very impressive, hundreds of painting lined every hallway, their bright blue eyes staring down at him, some things were missing quite obviously; taken by Adam and Belle when they moved out.  
A huge breakfast lay on the table, all fresh and inviting that Carlos sat immediately to devour as much as he was allowed, not noticing the second place set.  
Ben practically scrambled back up the stairs when he saw Carlos already at the breakfast table, unused to having company, the noise alerted the fifteen year old and he followed.  
"I wasn't going to eat everything!" Carlos called and the figure stopped.  
Taking a deep breath Ben turned to face the other boy and for the longest moment they stood in silence, just observing each other.  
Carlos took in the dangerous looking horns, sleek brown fur, clawed hands and feet but felt no fear; the was no anger or malice about the beast, his blue eyes looked as scared as Carlos usually felt.  
"what's your name?" the fifteen year old asked.  
Taken aback Ben wasn't sure how to respond, even his mother had recoiled from his father upon their first meeting, "call me Beast." he finally said.  
Carlos laughed, "I'm not calling you Beast." he stated, "my name is Carlos, what's your's?" he asked again stepping onto the staircase.  
If Ben could have blushed he would have, forgetting that the younger boy had very few fears, "Ben, call me Ben."  
A small frown appeared on Carlos's face, something clicking in his brain; if Mal, Evie and Jay had not been lost to the forest than maybe Ben hadn't either, he was the right age after all.  
"come have breakfast." the younger boy said, going back to the table.  
Ben sat with a small smile, took three slices of toast in each hand and crunched loudly, shortly followed by the bacon and the eggs.  
Watching silently the younger boy chewed his own food slowly, fascinated by Ben's every movement, the way a beast moved was naturally fluid but he knew that at any moment he could attack.  
Out of the corner of his eye the beast could see Mal and Evie in a nearby painting trying to coax him into talking but he simple shoved more food into his face.  
Once Ben had finally finished eating he cleared his throat, well aware he was being observed by Carlos but felt no judgement, "so, um, why are you all the way out here?"  
"my mother sold me to an army general." Carlos told him casually.  
Ben scowled, knowing that boys must be eighteen to go into the army, not to mention fully trained, "you were clever to run away." he praised softly.  
"foolish you mean." Carlos snorted, "I can never go back."  
"then we are the same." Ben said softly.  
The white haired boy looked at the soft looking beast, not scary or ferocious as the rumours said, "you can return right? Break the curse and return to your parents."  
Ben had planned the rest of his life around living in the castle as a beast, he'd never thought anyone could love a monster, but as Carlos said about breaking the spell it sounded so simple and the beast almost believed it.  
"it's impossible, nobody could love a beast." Ben shook his head.  
"and nobody could ever love a runty bookworm, but we all can hope." Carlos commented, standing from the table, "is the library still here?" he asked and left before receiving an answer.  
Ben sat stunned for a few seconds, watching the younger boy leave the room, feeling a little angry at Carlos's casual statement about not being loved and marched after him.  
Any convocation was put on hold as Carlos stood in the middle of the library, the curtains had opened by themselves, bathing the slightly dusty room in a dull light; there were several spaces upon the bookshelves that now sat in Belle's small library but the mere sight of the array of books left the younger boy breathless.  
Carlos pulled a hardback book from the shelf, smelling the old pages and feeling the delicate pages beneath his fingers; he felt his heart flutter and a smile spread across his face.  
The beast watched from the doorway, a lump in his throat as he remembered how his mother would cradle a book to her chest before reading it to a young Ben, suddenly Carlos turned his bright face towards him.  
"let's read together, like old days." the white haired boy said and sat on the carpet.  
Ben picked a well read book from the table and took a seat beside Carlos, who was already entranced in his book, "how much do you remember about the old days?" he asked quietly.  
Glancing up Carlos gave a sad smile, "everything, I remember you teaching me to read so I could enjoy your mother's stories. And playing with Mal, Evie and Jay around the village, my own dear friends, so when you guys vanished, I was alone." his grip of the book had tightened as he tried not to well up.  
"we were curious about Ben." Jay confessed, looking sheepish.  
"yeah, we didn't know we'd be pulled into that enchantress's curse." Mal added.  
"my curse." Ben corrected.  
Carlos cleared his throat, to stop any argument breaking out between beast and paintings, "I would have come too if I hadn't been locked away."  
Ben felt a clench of possessiveness in his stomach, a growl rumbling in his throat every time the younger boy mentioned how terrible his mother or the villagers were to him.  
Swallowing down the feeling for the moment the beast placed a paw on Carlos's smaller hand, "I'm sorry we left you alone." he said sincerely.  
"it's hardly your fault." Carlos told him firmly, "anyway, what are you reading?"  
So, like all those years before Ben read from his novel, glad to have someone to read with again, the pair savoured every word and lost themselves in the pages.  
Mal, Evie and Jay watched, not really interested in reading but noticing how Carlos didn't shy away from the beastly form, wasn't resident in leaning against him and only offered warm smiles.  
Days and nights seemed to pass differently around the castle, mostly it blurred into one long day but neither of the seemed to notice, their time was filled with books and Ben finally went walking through the gardens.  
Carlos was happy for the first time in five six years, his days were his own, there was nobody to belittle or shout at him but he sometimes shouted at Ben for hiding away; the white haired boy had long convocations with the paintings, telling them all about their parents back in the village.  
Ben never asked right out about his parents, their absence obviously hurt more than he wanted to admit, but one evening as Carlos went to the West Wing to get the beast for dinner he watched in horror as a petal fell.  
Their days had been so casual and warming Carlos hadn't thought that one day Ben would run out of time, that he would remain a beast forever and despite the fluttering feeling the younger boy felt every time he was with Ben, or the way his heart thumped, he knew his love couldn't be enough.  
"Ben!" Carlos called through the castle, grabbing a red cloak from the stand.  
The beast appeared holding multicoloured roses from the garden, he smiled up at Carlos on the staircase, "I picked these for tonight, I've turned seventeen after all."  
"I saw, another petal fell." Carlos told him urgently, "we have to go back to the village."  
Ben put the roses down, "are you not happy here?" he asked.  
Quickly the younger boy descended the stairs, staring desperately up into Ben's soulful blue eyes, "I am, really I am but do you really want to be a beast forever?"  
"but what would going back to the village do?" Ben questioned, reaching out to touch Carlos, to calm him somehow.  
Carlos gripped Ben's paws tightly, "because maybe the love from someone like me won't enough to break the curse, but maybe your parents love will." he explained in a rush.  
"your love?" Ben whispered.  
"focus. We're going back to village." Carlos said firmly, pulling the beast towards the door.  
Still dazed by what might have been a love confession Ben followed mindlessly until he noticed the gates, "wait, I can't go back to the village like this." he gestured to his monstrous form, "I'll be killed."  
Carlos sometimes forgot that Ben looked dangerous to other people, a threat that had possibly killed children, but he knew his plan would work; Cruella may not have loved him but he knew for certain that Belle loved Ben more than anything.  
"fine, stay here, but I'm going to leave." Carlos threatened.  
It a very real threat, the white haired boy knew Ben would follow him, even if it was just to make sure he wasn't harmed and he began to take steps towards the gate again.  
"you can't want to go back, we'll just be happy here." Ben said desperately.  
Carlos could feel himself losing the fight, he wanted to just spend the rest of his life with Ben and his friends in the castle where things were calm and happy but there would always be the looming curse of the enchantress.  
Not taking his eyes from Ben's, the younger teen took deliberate steps towards the gate, yanking it open and, finally turning away Carlos ran into the darkening woods.  
Panic gripped every inch of the beast as he watched the younger boy run into the forest before them, the red cape fluttering behind him, and it took less than three seconds to chase after him.  
Ben had never used his animal instincts before but as he smelt the rich dirt, fresh foliage and, most importantly, Carlos he allowed his beast body move on it's own.  
Within moments the beast had caught up with Carlos, who grinned smugly, "I knew you'd follow me." he breathed.  
"it's dangerous, let's go back." Ben said again.  
Carlos shook his head and ran off into the forest again; the chase continued for several minuets before Ben could no longer see the castle and accepted the journey.  
"come here Carlos, let's walk together." Ben called.  
Gratefully the younger boy took Ben's big paw tightly, feeling the warmth as the sun began to set; no wolves dared to approach the hulking form of a beast.  
Ben was shocked to see how little the village had changed, all the shops were the same, even the fountain hadn't changed, and the roses in his mother's garden had expanded further around the house.  
Dread coursed through Ben's veins and only kept on walking because Carlos was pulling him; it was well passed midnight and everywhere was empty, still Ben worried.  
"maybe we should go back." the beast whispered, alert to all noises around him.  
Carlos looked up in shock, "but we came all this way, we'll break the curse." the younger boy sounded so certain.  
"you don't know that, we should go back and enjoy that life." Ben so desperately wanted to go back to the safe castle, where they could both be protected.  
With forceful tugging Carlos pulled the beast towards the mayor's house, "once you talk to your mother the curse will end. Her love will break it."  
"you sound so sure, what if it isn't enough?" Ben asked panicking, he could see every detail of the house, even the stains on the windows.  
"it will be enough! It will!" Carlos was no longer whispering, he too was beginning to panic that maybe his plan wouldn't work, "a mother's love is strongest. No matter how much I love you it won't be enough." he felt tears in his eyes.  
With swift movements Ben moved towards the white haired boy, taking the freckled face in his paws and placing a gentle, tentative kiss upon his lips.  
For all the months they'd been living together there had been a comfortable feeling surrounding them, every move and convocation had been natural and the affection had bloomed into love before either of them knew.  
Ben pulled away, still a beast, and Carlos smiled sadly, "I do love you, but it obviously wasn't enough." the younger boy whispered.  
Turning to walk to the mayor's house the front door flung open; Belle had heard shouting from her bedroom and instantly welled with tears at the sight of Carlos alive and well.  
Carlos tried to drag Ben into the light flooding from Belle's house but the beast was frozen in place; tiny specks of light were glowing on his skin like tiny fireflies, a ruffling wind had appeared from nowhere, swirling around Ben as the lights began to spread like flames.  
Belle had seen the transformation before, when her dead beloved had been brought back from the brink and into his human form; more villagers awoke from the blinding light invading their homes.  
Ben's beastly appearance melted away, features contoured back into the pleasant shapes and the breath was stolen from his lungs as the magic was ripped from his body.  
The enchantress's magic gently set the seventeen year old back into the floor, his bare feet feeling the cold of the stones and he felt much lighter than before as his hulking form had been removed.  
The magic was not as gentle with Mal, Evie and Jay; they were pulled from the paintings and landed in a heap by the fountain but very grateful to be solid again.  
The tired villagers marvelled at the lost children being returned to them, but more so that the beast that had terrorised their nightmares was nothing more than a child under the same curse as his father.  
Cautiously Ben touched his human body, feeling the firm, soft skin, his straight nose and fangless mouth.  
"Ben!" Carlos leapt at the golden haired boy, hugging him tightly, "I knew seeing your mother would break it."  
"it was your love." Ben whispered, kissing the younger boy's neck.  
Suddenly Belle wrapped both boys in a tight hug, shaking as she embraced the children she thought had been lost forever; moments later Adam joined, delighted to have his son home.  
The beautician, jewellery maker and noble woman embraced their lost children, ushering them home from prying eyes.  
Cruella glared as Belle took both boys into her home but never made a move to claim Carlos back.  
Sitting in the familiar small library of his childhood Ben didn't let go of Carlos's hand and he explained the whole story; starting from the moment seven years ago when the enchantress appeared to him in his room.  
Both Belle and Adam remained silent as their son spoke, soaking in each word of his time alone and then all those months together with Carlos.  
"you didn't have to run away Ben." Adam finally said when the tale was over, "we could have helped you here."  
Ben chucked without humour, "the villagers never would have accepted me, they went into an immediate murderous rage with you." he reminded his father gently.  
Adam looked at his wife, looking for support, so Belle placed a gentle hand on Ben's arm, "either way you should have talked to us before running away, we thought you dead." she said a little sadly.  
"I'm sorry mother, father." Ben said sincerely.  
The family hugged again while Carlos sat awkwardly on the side, still holding Ben's hand, not sure what to do with himself because he was not sorry about running away, instead he was very grateful.  
"of course we were very worried about you too dear." Belle embraced the white haired teen tightly, "but we know why you left." she added.  
Adam suddenly looked very much like the mayor he was, "rest assured your mother has had her comeuppance." he said firmly.  
Frowning Carlos couldn't see his mother taking any punishment, she'd always breezed through abusing him without issue and she took pride in the fact she could hurt her son.  
"we should have a ball!" Belle announced in the morning.  
The family paused in the breakfast, Ben still trying to eat the amount he did as a beast, before Adam smiled kindly at his wife, "what a wonderful idea." he said happily, pulling her from her seat and spinning her around the room.  
"It'll be a celebration for the return of the lost children." Belle giggled as they continued to dance.  
"we can have it in the castle, now the curse has broken." Carlos put in.  
From the window the family could see the royal castle glistening in the sunshine, once again back to original glory.  
The mother sighed happily, "oh, it'll be like our wedding."  
Mayor Adam announced the ball at midday the same day, the villagers were pleased and the whole town became a flurry of activity collecting up food and other things for a ball.  
The trek back through the castle didn't take as long as when Carlos had been lost all those months ago; upon arrival it appeared that the castle had cleaned itself, not a single spec of dust anywhere.  
"it'll be nice to explore this castle properly." Mal laughed, looking slightly uncomfortable in her very formal dress.  
As the villagers milled about in the ballroom, setting up for the ball, Carlos and Ben went upstairs to the room where the younger boy had slept; there were still stacks of books on every surface but now an elegant black and white suit hung upon the wardrobe.  
Ben laughed softly, "you'll look like a groom." knowing a similar suit would be hanging in his own room.  
"doesn't sound so bad." Carlos said, trying to be casual but also trying to quell his thumping heart.  
As night fell the ball peaked, the music played loudly, people danced with each other, they ate only the best food; it truly was a celebration where the once lost children were praised for their bravery in staying sensible under a curse.  
The ball wore on Ben went for a walk outside in the chilled air with his father, leaving their spouses to dance together, and on the balcony admiring the lush gardens.  
"do you think our bloodline will all be cursed?" Ben asked.  
"who knows, you'll have to keep an eye on your own children." Adam said seriously.  
Ben looked up at his proud father, the original beast, "I love a boy, father, we cannot bare children." he said slowly.  
The mayor nodded, a small smile gracing his slightly lined face, "maybe it is for the best." his voice was small.  
"I still want to give you grandchildren, but Carlos and I are still young, maybe we could adopt." Ben rambled, wanting to please his father.  
Adam suddenly gave a hearty laugh, pulling his golden child into a firm hug, "don't you be worrying about any of that." he pulled back to look at his son proudly, "there's plenty of life still in this old beast, no need to rush."  
"there you two are." Belle appeared at the doors, face flushed, Carlos close behind her.  
Out of the corner of his eye Ben saw a slightly glow of magic and when he turned there on the balcony wall were two roses; one from his father's curse and the other from his own but both in full bloom.  
Adam kissed his wife, presenting her with their precious rose, the symbol of their love and went back to the party.  
With energy Ben envied Carlos bounded towards him, sitting on the wall but still wriggling around in excitement.  
"are you happy." Ben asked, smiling at his loved one.  
Carlos laughed kissing Ben firmly on the cheek, "what do you think?" he teased.  
Smiling just as brightly the blond held out the rose, still glowing with magic, all its glistening petals visible in the moonlight, "my father gave his rose to my mother on their wedding day." he explained.  
For a moment Carlos wrinkled his nose, worrying Ben, before he smiled again, "don't you want adventure? In the great wide, somewhere." he glanced over his shoulder at the far off mountains and towns.  
"we are still young, and my father will be mayor for many more years." Ben said slowly, feeling excitement rising in his stomach, "we could travel."  
"far from this provincial town." Carlos added almost longingly.  
"then it's decided, tonight be dance like royalty and tomorrow we travel like adventures." Ben announced, swinging Carlos off the wall and around the balcony.  
Adam and Belle understood, with tears in their eyes, about their son wanting to travel, something they had never managed to do; so they bid the lovers goodbye and wished them home soon.  
Saying their goodbyes to Mal, Evie and Jay, who all seemed very jealous, the pair took the main road out of the village and towards the next page of their lives.


End file.
